The Greek & Latin Roots of English (14 page)

Greek magical papyrus. The snake swallowing its tail is a symbol of eternity. (Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris)

Graecum est. Non potest legi
. (It's Greek to me; it cannot be read.)
Comment of a medieval scribe who could not decipher the Greek words found in his Latin manuscript

Like Latin, Greek Is an Inflected language with declensions and conjugations. Because most English words derived from Greek roots are learned borrowings, or because the Greek word had passed into Latin before coming into English at a later time, there are not the same strict rules, as there are for Latin-based words, for the formation of Greek-based English vocabulary.
¹

THE GREEK ALPHABET

RULES FOR TRANSLITERATING GREEK WORDS INTO ENGLISH

1. Diphthongs (two vowels that blend into a single sound):

2. upsilon (υ) is usually transliterated as
y
:
κύκλος = cyclos (circle)
Aἴσχυλος = Aeschylus
³
τύπος = typos (figure, form)
 
When it is part of a diphthong, however, it is transliterated as a
u
.
τραυ̑μα = trauma (wound)
ψευ̑δον = pseudon (false)

3. If a gamma (γ) appears before another gamma, kappa (κ), chi (χ), or xi (ξ), the gamma is pronounced in Greek, and transliterated in English, as an
n
.
ἄγγελος = angelos (messenger)
φάλαγξ = phalanx (phalanx, body of troops)
άγκύρα = ankyra (anchor)
βρόγχος = bronchos (windpipe)

4. If a word begins with a vowel, that vowel is marked with what is called a
breathing sign
. There are two breathing signs: smooth and rough. If a word has a smooth breathing sign, the vowel is given its original value; if it has a rough breathing mark, it is pronounced and transliterated with an initial
h
before the vowel.

5. If a word begins with a rho (ρ), the rho always receives a rough breathing sign, and is transliterated as
rh
. If it appears elsewhere in the word, it is transliterated as an
r
.
ῥήτωρ = rhetor (speaker)
ῥόμβος = rhombos (rhombus)
δέρμα = derma (skin)
περί = peri (around)

6. If a word begins with a kappa (κ), it is transliterated either as a
c
or a
k
.

This death mask, made of gold and dating to the sixteenth century BCE, was labeled by the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann as the “mask of Agamemnon.” (National Museum, Athens)

COGNATES

Because both Latin and Greek are members of the Indo-European family and therefore have a common ancestry, many Latin words have Greek cognates (words that are derived from the same earlier forms). Thus we find the following verbs in Greek that are related to Latin verbs we have already seen on the list of “Very Useful Latin Verbs.” These verbs have the same meaning.

It's Greek to Me

It's fairly obvious why we call the series of letters with which we construct English written words the
alphabet
, but Greek letters have made their way into our language in other ways:

• Among social animals, such as wolves or chimpanzees, an
  alpha male
  describes the “leader of the pack” who asserts his authority through intimidation and physical force. It is also used unflatteringly to describe a human male with the same qualities.
  
• The triangular shape of the capital form of the letter
  delta
  (Δ) gave its name to the geographical feature caused by the divergence of a river into two branches at its mouth.
  
• The letter ἰω̑τα is so small and sometimes indistinct that it may be overlooked. Thus, it has come to mean a very tiny measure. “I don't care one iota if I ever learn the Greek and Latin roots of English.”
  

And then, of course, there are all those scientific terms such as gamma rays, muons, and taus that physicists like to toss around in casual conversation.

What Did You Say?

The ancient Greeks. who were resolutely monolingual and not at all interested in the systematic study of other languages, dismissively defined anyone who did not speak Greek as one who spoke a
glossa barbaros
(γλω̑σσα βάρβαρος), a “foreign language.”

NAME _____________________________________________________________________

A. Transliterate the following Greek words according to the rules given in this chapter. Which of these words came into English unchanged? If the word is unchanged, what is its current meaning? Even if the word does not exist in the transliterated form in English, can you figure out what it might mean in Greek? Use your dictionary as a research tool.

Example